Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Episode 2 // The Pine River Stories: The Pine River remembers all

By Carrie La Seur FLOW Legal Director — When I ask them how they feel about the Pine, their local waters – , people who’ve lived in Gratiot County, Michigan all their lives – remember childhood summers spent swimming in the mill pond behind the dam at Alma. That’s not possible anymore. Fall rains and… Read more »

Saving the Wild: A Conversation with Conservationist Tom Baird

The current chair of Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC), Tom Baird is a retired attorney who was born and raised in Grand Rapids, practiced law in Lansing, and currently lives in Elk Rapids. Throughout life his passions have been conservation and the environment. This led to various roles as board member of FLOW and in… Read more »

FLOW’s “lame duck” session priorities for water

What is the “lame duck” session in Lansing? Lame duck is a legislative session that begins after a November election but before new members take the oath of office in January. ‘Lame duck’ refers to the fact that many legislators voting in November and December are retiring or were defeated and are considered lame ducks…. Read more »

Sarah Naperala announced chair of FLOW Board of Directors

FLOW is pleased to announce that Sarah Naperala has been elected to chair of its Board of Directors. Sarah has served on the board for nine years, and held the office of board secretary during her previous term. Sarah is an organizational consultant with over 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit, research, technology, and… Read more »

The Great Lakes are not for sale: Protect water from Big Tech

By Liz Kirkwood FLOW Executive Director —  Michigan, the Great Lakes state, sits in the heart of 20 percent of the planet’s fresh surface water, and 95 percent of the U.S.’s fresh water supply. All Michiganders will tell you of their deep connection to these lakes. And now, Big Tech and other national manufacturing businesses are… Read more »

Drain who? The Michigan elective office that many don’t understand

Every four years – including this month – voters in the overwhelming majority of Michigan counties elect a drain commissioner on the partisan ballot. But many of those voters likely do not understand the office. Although the office of drain commissioner was explicitly created by the Legislature in the 1890s to drain wetlands, today that… Read more »

The Great Lakes in pop culture

This week we acknowledged the 49th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking – the doomed freighter that met the November gales early and sank in Lake Superior in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot’s hit song  “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” (which many of you are mentally humming as we speak) is filled with haunting lyrics and… Read more »

A post-election note from our Executive Director, Liz Kirkwood

I’ll be honest: Wednesday was a hard day. While there are a few silver linings, our uphill climb to protect and preserve the waters of the Great Lakes Basin just got a little bit steeper. Journalists, political scientists, and social media keyboard warriors will conjure many pixels over the days and weeks ahead, seeking to understand… Read more »

Fremont Anaerobic Digester: Public Hearing Scheduled for November 20

On Wednesday, November 20 at 6:00pm, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will hold an in-person public hearing on the proposed Groundwater Discharge Permit for the Fremont Digester, at the request of FLOW and the coalition of residents and organizations working to strengthen environmental protections. What is the Fremont Digester? The… Read more »